10:25 pm EST. A breaking update about the attacks that happened Friday in Norway appears at the end of this post. A 32-year-old Norwegian man, Anders Behring Breivik, was arrested Friday night and is in police custody in the worst attack to occur in Norway since World War II.

The two attacks seem to be a “coordinated effort,” says the New York Times.

Norwegian media are reporting that seven have been killed and at least 15 injured in the bomb blast in Oslo. Police have locked down a large part of Oslo’s city center; the extent of the devastation caused by the bomb in Oslo can be seen on the news site of Dagbladet. A rescue operation is underway now as there are still people in the bombed-out building, all of whose windows were blown out in the attack, says the BBC. Oistein Mjarum, head of communications for the Norwegian Red Cross whose offices are near the buildings, said the “blast could be heard across Oslo”; the oil ministry and the offices of tabloid newspaper VG were among those hit. As Friday was a state holiday in Norway, government offices were not as busy as they might have been, but there were certainly still many in them when the attack occurred.

Witnesses at the camp on Utoya posted messages on Twitter and Facebook about the gunman, who had entered the camp saying he was making a “routine check” following the bombing in Oslo. The mostly 15- and 16-year-olds made pleas for the police to come and for boats, NRK reports; some swam from the island, which is not close to the mainland. The gunman is in custody and is currently being questioned by police, says the Guardian; police are not yet saying if there might have been more than one shooter.

Norwegian police at first believed whoever set off the bomb is foreign; NRK says that the gunman on Utoya looks Norwegian.

A terrorist group, Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or the Helpers of the Global Jihad, has claimed responsibility for the attack, says Will McCants, a terrorism analyst at C.N.A., a research institute that studies terrorism in the New York Times:

The message said the attack was a response to Norwegian forces’ presence in Afghanistan and to unspecified insults to the Prophet Muhammad. “We have warned since the Stockholm raid of more operations,” the group said, according to Mr. McCants’ translation, apparently referring to a bombing in Sweden in December 2010. “What you see is only the beginning, and there is more to come.” The claim could not be confirmed.

Norway is a member of the NATO alliance and has a small fighting contingent in Afghanistan. It was one of several countries named by Ayman al-Zawahri, the leader of Al Qaeda, as potential targets for attack. In 2006, Norwegian newspapers reprinted Danish cartoons that angered Muslims by lampooning Muhammad. Norway has also historically been a frequent participant in peacekeeping missions and a host for diplomatic talks, including the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee of the Norwegian Parliament.

The New York Times also reports that, earlier this month, Norwegian authorities had filed a terrorism charge against Mullah Krekar, the Iraqi-born founder of the Kurdish Islamist group Ansar al-Islam; he is “accused of making death threats” against the head of Norway’s Conservative Party, Erna Solberg:

Mr. Krekar co-founded Ansar al-Islam in 2001, but said a year later that he no longer led the group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and United Nations.

Norwegian authorities have previously ordered his expulsion from the country, but the process was suspended amid concerns that he would face the death penalty in his home country.

We will continue to post updates about the attacks in Norway.

UPDATE, 9:15 pm EST: The Guardian reports that 17 have been killed in the Oslo bombing and the attack at the youth camp on Utoya. More people have been injured. According to the police,

“A homegrown terrorist set off an explosion that ripped open government buildings in central Oslo on Friday, he then went to a summer camp dressed as a police officer and gunned down youths as they ran and even swam for their lives, according to police.

The attacks are the worst seen by Norway since World War II.

UPDATE, 10:15 pm EST: The BBC reports that at least 80 died in the shooting at the youth camp on Utoya island. NRK says that a 32-year-old Norwegian man, Anders Behring Breivik, was arrested Friday night and is being interrogated by police. A car containing explosives was found on Utoya and is thought to belong to Breivik. Norway’s TV 2 says that Breivik is from Oslo and that he had a machine gun and a Glock pistol recorded in his name.

Q. Does Norway still have the Death Penalty? I expect not.
So , they are going to have to look after this Evil Person for the next 40 years, -- ( becuase for sure as soon as he got out he would kill again )
And the cost to the Norge Tax Payer for that is...........well you could have spent it on Healthcare....

From above passage,"A terrorist group, Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or the Helpers of the Global Jihad, has claimed responsibility for the attack, says Will McCants, a terrorism analyst at C.N.A., a research institute that studies terrorism in the New York Times:"

How can Will McCants, New York Times, annouce FALSE REPORTS??? Such LIES!!! How can they report UNCONFIRMED claims???; are they NOT suppose, to research, for the Truth, before, they make a REPORT, to the WORLD. Any tom, dick and harry can make such false claims!!!; is that reason enough to believe and report false claims, to the world; spreading and promoting islamophobia and HATRED amongst fellow human beings.

How can people of the world, believe ANYTHING, that these bias and hate filled, reporters, say or write???

People of the world, research for the TRUTH, yourselves; DO NOT
BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD, OF WHAT, YOUR MAINSTREAM MEDIA TELLS YOU!!!

It was a Christian Norwegian TERRORIST, in a policeman's uniform!!!

Its so sad, that there are human beings, who are so full of Hate, that they can KILL innocent people, due to it. My heartfelt condolences, goes out to the families, of all these innocent children.

Some food for thought: 'TERRORISTS' dont have to, HIDE under the VEIL, of a Muslim Woman; TERRORISTS can also come, under the guise of a Policeman. I wonder if countries, are now going, to BAN Police Uniforms too, in all the western countries; citing it as scurity risks.

This is a perfect example of how a firearm can save your life and the lives of others. Never go camping or into the woods unarmed because you don't know what's in the sick minds of some people. Even though the gunman was heavily armed, one citizen with good aim and the element of surprise on his side could've stopped him. The gunman knew no one on the island was armed and that most people trusted the police uniform. It's a sad way to find out otherwise.

Its so sad, that there are human beings, who are so full of Hate, that they can KILL innocent people, due to it. My heartfelt condolences, goes out to the families, of all these innocent children.

Its also food for thought: 'TERRORISTS' dont have to, HIDE under the VEIL, of a Muslim Woman; TERRORISTS can also come, under the guise of a Policeman. I wonder if countries, are now going, to BAN Police Uniforms too, in all the western countries; citing it as scurity risks.

Very very sad. I dont think the bombers were Muslim, not from what I saw on TV. And the shooter is Norwegian also. I mean! The Norwegians seem so peaceful. Aren't they the ones who give out the Nobel peace prizes? ..though the head of NATO is Norwegian, or Danish, ...Scandinavian anyway, and he's a major warmonger! And they do usually send in the norwegians as observers to get accurate co-ordinates of sites that Europeans and the US want to bomb, and as the article says, they have a small contingent (army) in Afghanistan. Why? I really mean that. WHY? oh well, we should be glad that the Arabs and the Africans aren't as united and loyal to each other as the Europeans are. Otherwise we would probably be fighting more world wars like the 2 European ones we had in the last century.
As mad rampaging shootists go, Norway can take pride in the fact that they've got the number 1 nutjob in the world despite America having more practice.

What was the reason for the man to do such a heinous act???? We must find answers. These so called self styled Jihadis are No.1 menace to mankind. Are we just going to take it in our stride and wait for the next thing to happen???
In India the population understands because the Government just does not care - what are few hundred people in a 100 million population is the casual approach. It will remain the same as poor common people GET MAIMED OR DIE and not THEpoliticians.
NORWAY SHOULD TAKE ACTION and get to the bottom of this crime.
My heartfelt condolances to all who were affected.

Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2.